KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) admitted today that it erred in notifying PKR about suspicions of corruption involving two of its members, which the political party has now sacked.
MACC deputy chief Datuk Seri Azam Baki clarified that the MACC is only required to notify government bodies and not political parties.
“MACC admits that there has been an error made by the MACC Report Division chief through a letter to that party that suggested disciplinary action for breaching the party’s code of ethics,” Azam said in a brief statement to Malay Mail.
He was responding to queries over whether MACC could propose to political parties to take disciplinary action against their members over suspected wrongdoing, following PKR’s sacking of two members yesterday.
“According to the disciplinary guidelines (that MACC has to follow), the report of a wrongdoing is only sent to a federal or state government’s ministry and agency.
“It is not subject to any political parties. It is not MACC’s policy to make such reports to any political parties about their members’ wrongdoing,” he added.
He said MACC will be sending a letter to the PKR disciplinary board chairman to explain the error and to avoid misunderstandings in the future.
PKR yesterday sacked former Bera PKR division chief Zakaria Abdul Hamid and fellow party member Ismail Dul Hadi, after the party received an October 23 letter from the MACC on allegations of corruption and bribery against the duo in relation to last year’s party elections.
PKR disciplinary board chairman Datuk Ahmad Kassim yesterday announced the party’s central leadership committee’s (CLC) decision to sack them with immediate effect in line with the party’s zero compromise on corruption, saying that the duo would be notified in writing and will have the right to appeal to the party president against the decision.
PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil yesterday said that MACC had in the letter asked the party to take appropriate action following the anti-graft body’s investigations of both Zakaria and Ismail in relation to alleged corruption, declining to provide details of the investigations which he said was confidential.
